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More than 100 positions were eliminated through retirements, lateral transfers and other attrition to save $5 million, but two Career Technical and Agricultural Education employees could not be transferred to other positions and were terminated.

The school system had to make up for a $34 million shortfall in revenue this year caused by a cut in state funding and a drop in enrollment, according to Superintendent Frank Roberson.

In covering the shortfall, the system is set to use $17 million in reserve funding, leaving just $10 million – enough to cover two weeks of operating expenses in case of an emergency.

Deputy Superintendent James Whitson said one of the most significant changes for next year is an increase in class size that is five students above state limits. The increase will allow for more staff elimination by attrition through 2014, he said.

State funding for 2012-13 was reduced by $22 million. State cuts began in 2002 with a $3 million reduction and have gradually increased over the years into the tens of millions.

The school system also had to account for a 50 percent increase since last year in noncertified health insurance costs after the state moved to contribute less to all Georgia school districts over the next four years.

Included in the staff elimination through attrition were 53 teachers, three high school assistant principals, one head custodian, two public safety officers, 60 first-grade paraprofessionals over time, five CTAE teachers and a public information director.

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Wow! This is a hugh hit to the entire city. Richmond County already has problems, and this will only add to them. Some will say that there isn't a problem and so on, but this is big. The school system is one of the main things a parent considers when deciding on a place to live. Richmond County has been battling this problem for twenty years, and it continues to do so.

Not only to merge schools but to look at school zones. Kids living off Jimmie dyess pkwy attending ARC. That's a 20 mile round trip 5 days a week. Furloughs solve only a small part to the larger operational cost.

DS, Glen Hills is the closest high school to Jimmy Dyess Pkwy, and they are already over crowded. The next closest would be Westside and they too are over crowded. There's obviously no money to build another school, so whats one to do.

When will the RCBOE solve the problem of woeful academic achievement among many of its HS students? Recently-released End-of-Course-Test(EOCT) results were appallingly bad. For example, ARC failure rates on the U.S. History and Economics EOCTs were in the 50-70% range (And passing these tests is becoming mandatory for HS graduation.).

And ARC's principal was promoted this evening to deputy superintendent.

HighSociety, Glenn Hills is far from overcrowded. Students (and teachers) are leaving in droves due to the leadership. They are going to Cross Creek and Butler. So there is indeed space for students at Glenn Hills. But just know that the inmates are running the asylum there.

Sounds like a huge mess from top to bottom. Start with discipline at the top. Get rid if incompetents and start working your way down until you work down to the incompetent teachers, all the way down keeping discipline and respect in the forefront. No kid is going to learn much in an atmosphere of perceived chaos.

How far can these cuts go? How great can a class size increase before chaos rules? I thought the State Department was pushing CTAE and STEM as the top priority in our schools. Why did they cut CTAE? Also, what happened to CTAE in the ten middle schools, the exploratory vocational programs have been eliminated in all but a few? The GADOE has developed a variety of great courses! They add, we subtract. I have no doubt they'll muddle through this year, but what about next year? What a disservice to these kids. Sorry, but this is not world class--get a new motto RCSS! Brace yourself teachers, you will do more than you've ever done with more kids, less resources, less pay, and with greater oversight and criticism, and a new evaluation system.

Just a continuation of the dumbing down of our youth, no money for schools, program cuts, alot of teachers who should not be teaching, not to mention no discipline in schools anymore. Education has been on a downward spiral in many parts of this country for a long time and the trend continues with no real solutions to the problems. The government of this country gives billions to worthless programs, to foreign aid, to wars but we can't provide the future generation of this country a quality education........

Congrats to Mr. Spivey on his recent appointment for deputy super. Right man for the right job. In three years ARC changed dramatically as for student discipline, teacher moral, and other need areas. Maybe some changes will occur in the departments he is responsible for.

As for the test scores, you can't just look at ARC. Compare them to the other schools and on the state level(except the magnet schools). No they aren't where they need to be, but there are improvements in some areas. Social Studies has always been struggling with their scores because so much emphasis is placed on math and science scores, that even the students see that S.S is not as important. Unless your are a teacher dealing with that specific subject, you have no idea what those teachers go through. (motivation, attendance, sorriness on the students and parents part) It's hard to get a student going with no parental support. IT ALWAYS STARTS AT HOME!!! ALWAYS!! Lets walk a mile in these teachers shoes to see what they have to go through every day with 25-30 students per class and putting up with furlough days and possibly something else the BOE might throw at them.

Keep working hard teachers. Believe you are making a difference because you are. Some of the finest people I know are educators at all levels. God Bless.